


The Function of Bubble Bath

by sanctum_c



Series: Tub Fics [9]
Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bathrooms, Gen, Missing Scene, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:42:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27864774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctum_c/pseuds/sanctum_c
Summary: Aeris's first bath.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Elmyra Gainsborough
Series: Tub Fics [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179503
Kudos: 1





	The Function of Bubble Bath

Aeris stared at the bath with suspicion. She had seemed unsure of the fixture ever since her arrival, but never actually made a point of asking about it. "What are those?" she asked eventually pointing at the water.

"Bubbles," Elmyra replied as she checked the water one more time and twisted the taps off.

"Bubbles," Aeris echoed as she nodded. "What... what do they do?"

"Do?" Elmyra frowned. "They're..." She trailed off under the scrutiny of Aeris's undivided attention, the girl again an enigma. There was so much she would love to know about her adopted daughter - so much the woman at the station could have told her before the light went out of her eyes. Aeris herself was certainly not forth-coming with details or specifics of her past; even gentle coaxing in that direction made the girl clam up immediately. After two or three similar reactions, Elmyra became reluctant to pry. Dredging the past up was not going to help either of them - they just had to move on as best they could with the situation as they found it. As mother and daughter - as strange as that seemed even now. Would Elmyra really want to know the specifics of what lead them together? It must have been traumatic or cruel, or even both; how else could a child not know about bubble bath? She sighed. "They're for fun," Elmyra said and scooped up a handful of foam.

Aeris reached out a tentative hand and poked at the bubbles. She blinked at the remnants clinging to her finger as she withdrew it. "I don't get it? And why is there so much water?"

"We need to get you clean-" The blood-drained from Aeris's face and Elmyra cut herself off. Her daughter hunched over and backed quickly away from the tub, her gaze flicking rapidly around the room. Was she looking for something? Was getting clean inextricably linked to something unpleasant? She had muttered something confusing about escaping from a lab on the first day; the implication now made Elmyra’s blood run cold.

More mysteries and a sense of something terrible in the girl's past. Food initially confused Aeris by sight and then later by the sheer quantity she could take. It was still a little difficult to get her to wear something different from one day to the next. Had she always worn the same thing in the past with no choice in the matter? Never mind. What now? She could leave the bath for today and try to reintroduce her to the idea some other time. Not the best outcome; Aeris had spent far too long charging around the garden delighting in the grass and mud. "It's not scary," Elmyra tried in a soft voice.

Aeris's gaze was haunted. "Don't like getting clean," she muttered. With a wince, her gaze locked on the shower hose and she shrank back further, shivering as she pressed against the tiled wall.

"Baths are great!" Elmyra tried with a force cheerfulness. "It's like-" How to describe taking a bath to someone who apparently never had? The feel of hot water surrounding her, the tension in muscles and every ache melting away? Or how half her doubts and worries seemed to vanish or become manageable after a good soak? Aeris was still up against the wall, checking all around her; at least she had yet to panic and run, though such a reaction could not be far off. Spook her too badly or pry too far and Aeris would flee - not far admittedly, but the risk was there. Midgar was too new it seemed and venturing beyond the garden was too much. For now. Elmyra previously gave her space to calm down and wander back when Aeris ran, her daughter would later do her best to pretend nothing had happened.

Of all the possible ideas to prove her words to Aeris, there was only one way Elmyra could think of to get the non-threatening nature of bathing across. She stood up and started undoing her dress. "What are you doing?" Aeris asked in a panic.

"Well," Elmyra said as she folded her clothes neatly on top of the laundry hamper. "If you don't want to have a bath, I thought I would. Shame to waste the water." Aeris stared at her in disbelief; it really did seem as if the notion of someone voluntarily getting clean was absurd.

"You... you want to?" Aeris managed after a pause as Elmyra stepped into the bath. Not hot enough for her; she was much more cautious for the temperature Aeris could handle. Tolerable at least.

"I do. Like I said, they're great." She smiled encouragingly. As great as they were, how long had it been since she had last taken a bubble bath? Time constraints meant she usually showered. She sat back and wafted some of the bubbles around. "See? Fun. Not scary."

Aeris swallowed, eyes wide and took a careful step forward. The shower still met with a suspicious, wary look, but eventually she dragged her gaze back to the bath. "Fun?" she asked.

"Yes," Elmyra said carefully.

"Not scary?"

"No."

Aeris licked her lips. "Can... can I try?" she asked. She bit her lip, her body tense.

"You can. Just let me get out-"

"No!" Aeris said quickly. "I... I want to get in. With you. If... if that's okay?"

Elmyra considered the request for a moment. "Okay. Just this once. But if you're okay with this, next time can you try on your own?"

"Maybe," Aeris said and struggled out of her clothes, dropping them in a messy pile beside her. She prodded the bubbles again. The foam did not counter-attack - a sign that seemed to comfort her. Now the big step. Aeris put her foot into the water, squeaked and jumped back. "Hot!"

"Just a second," Elmyra said sitting forward. "I'll make it colder. Okay?" An approving nod; she would need to bear with it - the water was barely going to be lukewarm at this rate. Aeris stared at the water as it splashed into the bath; Elmyra fidgeted as far from the streaming cold as she could. "Okay, how about now?" Elmyra asked as the temperature lowered. She shut the tap off and shuffled back to where it was warmer. Aeris re-introduced her foot and paused, debating. "Better?"

"Better," Aeris confirmed and clambered over the side. She stood knee-deep in the bath and sat down in a rush, gasping as she did so. Her eyes were wide and in the next moment she giggled. Elmyra smiled back; Aeris's past was hers alone - Elmyra's job was to help her move into the future. One step at a time she would help her daughter live.


End file.
